Termites, nature endanger bell
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Liberty Bell of Aloha, the replica of the national monument displayed in front of Honolulu Hale Annex, does not have the crack that adorns the Philadelphia version.
Below: To keep the Liberty Bell of Aloha from falling, officials have propped the bottom with four two-by-fours wedged beneath the bell's lip. Photos by Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
But its luck could change.
Above: Dry rot and termites have damaged the wooden block frame of the bell, which a Buddhist organization gave to the city in 1985.
The heavy, wooden block frame from which the bell hangs has deteriorated because of dry rot and termites. The metal supports that hold the bell aloft above the annex lawn have dropped five inches from their original position.
City officials are aware of the monument's precarious position.
To keep the bell from falling they've propped the bottom with four two-by-fours, and wedged the temporary supports beneath the bell's lip with wooden door stops.
"We were concerned it could be a safety hazard," said Peter Radulovic, executive director of the Mayor's office of Culture and the Arts. "That's why we put in the two-by-fours."
Radulovic said he wasn't sure how long the frame has been rotting away, but he thinks the bell was rung as recently as a year and a half ago.
The deterioration has advanced dramatically since then, he said, and the city would not consider ringing the bell in its present condition. The clapper is locked in place.
A new frame has been ordered, he said. Most likely it will be built by city employees.
Radulovic said he wasn't sure when the new frame was requested, when it is likely to be completed or how much it will cost. But the city plans to have it replaced as soon as possible.
"It is a priority," he said.
The Liberty Bell of Aloha was given to the city in 1985 by a Buddhist organization called Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai of America.
The organization's name was changed in 1991 to Soka Gakkai International.
According to the plaque at the base of the bell, the gift was met as "as symbol of our wish for peace ... that there be no more Pearl Harbor, no more Hiroshima and no more war."
"It was given as a gesture of our goodwill, said Ian McIlraith, a spokesman for SGI USA. "It represents our partnership in peace and friendship."
McIlraith said he was pleased the city plans to repair the damage.
